Not Foo Fighters, flu fighters. That is what our nation is geared up for now. Forget we are all broke, homeless and watching out for tainted peanut butter, we have to fight the flu.
It occured to me this morning I still have my RN license active and might be called to duty to help in the crisis. I have past ICU experience and a clean pair of white duty shoes. Then the irony hit me. The people who succumb to this Swine Flu virus are young. If they get a severe case that leads to pneumonia, they might end up on my watch. Might be on a ventilator. Might have drugs to make them whoozy and paralyzing agents to keep them from pulling out an endotrachial tube. Then they might freak out being cared for by a geriatric nurse or two
When I was working there were disaster plans to activate retired doctors and nurses to care for a huge influx of patients. There might be a Senior Citizens Nurse Corps. The poor, hazed young flu victim would only see old people and think they were hallucinating . It might impede recovery. Maybe I will volunteer to answer phones or roll bandages.
That scenario reminds me of a true story my sister in-law told years ago. She had a classmate who did drugs. One day he dropped acid and went to the state fair. He freaked out thinking he was having a bad trip. "Everyone was old". I think it straightened him out. What he didn't know while he was tripping was that he went to the fair on Senior Citizens Day. Oldsters got in at reduced admission rates. I think he quit drugs.
It occured to me this morning I still have my RN license active and might be called to duty to help in the crisis. I have past ICU experience and a clean pair of white duty shoes. Then the irony hit me. The people who succumb to this Swine Flu virus are young. If they get a severe case that leads to pneumonia, they might end up on my watch. Might be on a ventilator. Might have drugs to make them whoozy and paralyzing agents to keep them from pulling out an endotrachial tube. Then they might freak out being cared for by a geriatric nurse or two
When I was working there were disaster plans to activate retired doctors and nurses to care for a huge influx of patients. There might be a Senior Citizens Nurse Corps. The poor, hazed young flu victim would only see old people and think they were hallucinating . It might impede recovery. Maybe I will volunteer to answer phones or roll bandages.
That scenario reminds me of a true story my sister in-law told years ago. She had a classmate who did drugs. One day he dropped acid and went to the state fair. He freaked out thinking he was having a bad trip. "Everyone was old". I think it straightened him out. What he didn't know while he was tripping was that he went to the fair on Senior Citizens Day. Oldsters got in at reduced admission rates. I think he quit drugs.
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